Story Eight- Fortune's Fool, Part Five
  • RandBrittain has quit (Disintegrated: Avoidance Kata!)

<Benhimself> He's gone expatriate! Oh noes!

<Rand> EXPATRIATE. EXPATRIATE.

<Rand> YOU WILL BE EXPATRIATED.

<crusher_bob> hmm, everyone is here

<Rand> Wow, everyone showed up, and only ten minutes late! Amazing!

<Rand> Some bizarre stars shine upon this meeting.

<Uqbarian> Except for RandBrittain. He's not here yet.

<borogove> which is kind of a problem, really. shall we move on to electing a new Hollyhock God?

<Uqbarian> Sure!

  • You are now known as HollyhockGod

<HollyhockGod> I… have… the power!

<Uqbarian> Oh, there you go.

<borogove> Curses; foiled again!

<Benhimself> I nominate HollyhockGod. He seems to be appropriately named.

<Uqbarian> Good call.

  • HollyhockGod adds muscles; subtracts clothes.
  • HollyhockGod attempts to build a loincloth out of hollyhocks; fails.
  • HollyhockGod settles for incandescent discorporeality.

<Uqbarian> It's the new black.

<borogove> It's not like classical gods really cared all that much about loincloths, anyway.

<HollyhockGod> I still love Dr. Moran's phrase "ceases to be a localized phenomenon."

<HollyhockGod> I gotta make that into a Gift.

<HollyhockGod> It's both mega-scrying and teleportation!

<Ebba> We had just opened to office door on what turned out to be two Excrucian shards, yes?

<RyanSherbrig> (We hope)

<HollyhockGod> Well, two Excrucians! One of whom is probably a shard. It's bad to assume!

<HollyhockGod> Meanwhile, Fiona and Alexa are aboard the ship with Melangell.

<Fiona> Has she tried to start a fight yet?

<HollyhockGod> If the other half of the plot drags, please, feel free to insert yourselves into it.

<HollyhockGod> No fights yet. Right now it's arm wrestling!

<HollyhockGod> …Alexa isn't winning.

<Alexa> Alexa was calling her brother at the Bank of England to see what he'd heard about the US government's financial plan.

<RyanSherbrig> (Come crashing in through a window saying 'Flower delivery!')

<HollyhockGod> 1-800-FLOWERS must be some kind of ninja sorcerer assassin squad in this world.

<RyanSherbrig> (Throw a single rose at the Excrucian's feet, and then raise your eyebrow expectantly.)

<HollyhockGod> Your brother answers!

<RyanSherbrig> (I have to do that sometime)

<HollyhockGod> It's all very financially sound but kind of ethically questionable. So it's still 50% better than most government economic plans.

<Alexa> Alexa says it might turn out to be a Bad Thing, and asks how it could be stopped.

<HollyhockGod> …you could buy a senator or sixty?

<HollyhockGod> What's-his-name isn't a politician.

<HollyhockGod> Or you could try the Supreme Court.

<Alexa> Thinking more in terms of what new policies could be introduced to reverse the damage.

<Alexa> (Though I don't mind if we watch the Excrucian fight instead.)

<RyanSherbrig> (Oooh. Let's buy us a government.)

<Ebba> Marxist revlution, obviously.

<Ebba> There will be plenty of class mobility in the new worker's paradise!

<HollyhockGod> I don't know about that but you'd still need some personal senators to introduce policies.

<Ebba> But didn't what's her name say we have to stop the rite soon?

<Alexa> Righto.

<Ebba> So there wouldn't be a whole lot of time left over for politics?

<RyanSherbrig> ("Soon" is so relative.)

<Ebba> Especially since we don't happen to have any government bits in our pocket already.

<HollyhockGod> I presume that there's a time limit before at least some of the damage is beyond repair.

<HollyhockGod> Anyway, while you think, office. Excrucians. Plan?

<RyanSherbrig> (You've got a Glorious friend. That's like having quite a bit of the government in your pocket.)

<Ebba> (They are pretending to be the Secretary of the Treasury and some woman we don't know, yes?)

<HollyhockGod> This is so, Ebba. Ryan, Glorious is a common Gift.

<RyanSherbrig> (Well, it's a short-term solution.)

<Alexa> (*goes to check logs*) (Is session 25 going up sometime?)

<HollyhockGod> Logs will go up whenever I reinstall Perl and fix my script.

<Alexa> (Righto.)

<Fiona> (Strictly speaking, two of us have Glorious.)

<RyanSherbrig> (I just meant, you know, with her at that moment.)

<RyanSherbrig> (Let's see, which of the NPCs are with us?)

<HollyhockGod> Lukas is with you.

<RyanSherbrig> (Ah, right, we were trying to be subtle. Damn.)

<HollyhockGod> And his magic moon powers.

<Ebba> There were only three of us.

<RyanSherbrig> (Yes, but I'm Immortal, you're an Exemplar, and Lukas is an NPC!)

<Ebba> Lyrical Secretary Ebba and Glorious Lobbyist Sherbrig.

<Ebba> And whatever Lukas turned into.

<RyanSherbrig> "Hello, Secretary."

<RyanSherbrig> (Did the Other-Montessa seem to recognize us?)

<HollyhockGod> "Good afternoon. May I assist you?"

<HollyhockGod> No. Shards don't know what other shards know.

<RyanSherbrig> (Well, I assumed that, but I also assumed you could distinguish anchors, shards, and full via the Sight, so you never know.)

<RyanSherbrig> "We represent a party… 'interested' in your recent economic reforms."

<HollyhockGod> "Oh?"

<RyanSherbrig> ("Interested… with MURDER. Flanking attack!")

<RyanSherbrig> (We really should have come up with a plan before charging in here, shouldn't we?)

<HollyhockGod> (On the bright side, killing them both will probably stop the rite. Probably.)

<HollyhockGod> Remind me, you have like two MPs between you, right?

<Alexa> (Oh dear…)

<RyanSherbrig> (Hmmm. I think I've got at least, like, 3 SMPs left. But yeah, I've been spendy.)

<Ebba> I'm out of AMP, but have everything else left, for what good it will do.

<HollyhockGod> Hm, Ryan's spent 2 AMPS, 5 DMPS, and 2 SMPS.

<HollyhockGod> Ebba spent 5 AMPS.

<HollyhockGod> Fiona spent 4 DMPS and has six millions left. Alexa spent 2 DMPs.

<RyanSherbrig> (All we need is to lure him to our Chancel!)

<Ebba> Did the Excrucians respond to Ryan's statement?

<RyanSherbrig> "Although this seems like it may be a bad time. Is your assistant there injured?"

<RyanSherbrig> (Yeah, he said "Oh?" forcing me to further extemporize what the hell I'm doing.)

<HollyhockGod> "It appears that she was stabbed by an unknown assailant. Finance is dangerous work."

<HollyhockGod> "Occasionally one finds oneself murdered," says Montessa dismissively. "It happens."

<RyanSherbrig> "Yes, yes, everyone's a critic. I'm familiar with the process."

<HollyhockGod> "Are you, then?"

<RyanSherbrig> "Well, from one side of the process, at least. STRIKE HIM NOW."

<RyanSherbrig> (That last bit being to the Daughters, obviously.)

<RyanSherbrig> (You knew what Ryan was like when you brought him along!)

<RyanSherbrig> (He's not the tea-drinking sort.)

<HollyhockGod> Assassins attack!

  • RyanSherbrig has himself a seat.

<Ebba> "Sigh."

<RyanSherbrig> "I came to the conclusion that reasonable discussion was unlikely to solve our problems. And it was such a perfect set-up line."

<HollyhockGod> "Ladies, please!" says Ataulph as they slice him.

<HollyhockGod> "I assume you mean me," says Montessa, and fires point-blank into a Daughter's head.

<Fiona> (Team Phoenix, lacking the subtle since forever.)

<HollyhockGod> Run through their stats again so I don't have to look them up, please?

<Ebba> Something like Knife Fighting 9, Stealth 9.

<RyanSherbrig> (Lessee, Superior Stealth 9, Superior Knife-Fighting 9, Glorious, Phasing, and Spirit 2? And immune to direct miracles.)

<Alexa> (Are they bulletproof?)

<HollyhockGod> Ah, no Aspect, then. Well, I guess they're glass ninjas!

<RyanSherbrig> (I assumed they would kill things from a position of superior stealth! Or just, you know, phase out of the way.)

<HollyhockGod> Not that I would allow you to summon a ninja that wasn't glass in some way!

<RyanSherbrig> (Hopefully they can at least inflict some Deadlies before they're shot in the head.)

<HollyhockGod> Ataulph finds himself sliced through the side with an Iajutsu strike.

<Ebba> I'll move in to make with the kicking on the Montessa-shard

<HollyhockGod> A Daughter finds herself missing half her head. But she's only half dead!

<Ebba> Since it worked pretty well on the last one.

<HollyhockGod> Numbers?

<Ebba> (Aspect 3, Penetration 2 kicking, like last time.)

<Ebba> We'll see how it turns out.

  • RyanSherbrig takes out his cell phone and tries calling Alexa.

<Alexa> "Hang on Sam; I've got another call."

<Alexa> "Ryan? What's up?"

<RyanSherbrig> "Hello! We're in the Sec of Treasury's office, and there's a bit of a fracas going on. You should join us. If you're, y'know, bored."

<HollyhockGod> Ataulph pulls a folded $20 out of his pocket and flings it at you. It goes unpleasantly sharp like a throwing knife and takes off your head.

<HollyhockGod> Your head gleams back on.

<Alexa> "Oh, right. Can you give me directions?"

<Ebba> "It hurts and stings."

<HollyhockGod> Ebba, your kicking seems to distract Montessa from her shooting, but isn't hurting her much.

<Ebba> (I'd have to do Deadly damage first, right?)

<HollyhockGod> Her Auctoritas isn't a problem at this point, though.

<HollyhockGod> (That's so.)

<Ebba> (Which would probably require a weapon, or something.)

<Alexa> "Ryan? Are you there?"

<Fiona> (or Aspect 6, probably.)

<RyanSherbrig> (2 AMP to give quick and accurate directions, for my miraculous action this turn)

<Alexa> (I was going to ask Melangell, if you want to save the AMPs.)

<RyanSherbrig> (Eh, not like I'm going to be spending them on punching people.)

<Fiona> (What is the Moon doing, by-the-way?)

<HollyhockGod> Hm, Lukas casts a circle around the bloody Daughter which is probably some kind of protection.

<RyanSherbrig> (Shaking his head and sighing.)

<Alexa> "There in a tick." (changes lines) "Sorry, Sam, I'll call you back." (hangs up)

  • Alexa fireflies towards the Secretary's office.

<Fiona> "Are we going somewhere?"

<Alexa> (… after giving Fiona a recap!)

<HollyhockGod> The Daughters seem to realize that Ataulph isn't taking damage and move onto Montessa.

<RyanSherbrig> (Bastard must be Immortal or something.)

<HollyhockGod> Montessa, finding herself set on by three combat twinks, spits on Ebba.

<Fiona> (Durant + high Spirit also works.)

<HollyhockGod> Ebba dodges, but abruptly finds herself (and the Daughters) being pulled off the floor by gale-force winds.

<HollyhockGod> Everybody except King Incorporeal on the cell phone is in danger of being nailed to the ceiling.

<RyanSherbrig> (Ah, yes, that would do it)

<HollyhockGod> Ebba, your move.

<Ebba> Sigh. Why does everything we fight have something nasty come out of its mouth?

<Ebba> Can I try wielding one of the Daughters as a melee weapon? They probably have the reach to get from the ceiling to the Montessa-shard.

<Ebba> And have a handy knife on the end.

<Ebba> Or are they not durable enough for that sort of stuff?

<HollyhockGod> Hm, interesting idea!

<RyanSherbrig> (One way to find out.)

<HollyhockGod> They are if you say they are and put Aspect behind it.

<HollyhockGod> Do you want the broken one or the 100% one?

<Ebba> We'll try the 100% one.

<Ebba> Since I'd be sad if I accidentally killed one of the friendly horrors from Beyond Creation.

<RyanSherbrig> (Eh, there's more where they came from.)

<RyanSherbrig> (But your consideration is noted.)

<HollyhockGod> Ebba grabs a Daughter and uses her like a naginata. The Thing that Should Not Be helpfully goes stiff and gives a stab with her knife as she goes by, giving Montessa a parallel cut to the one she has and bringing out an awful lot of blood.

<Fiona> (Incidentally, do Superior Attributes count as miracles, not mundane actions?)

<HollyhockGod> Mundane actions.

<Fiona> (So they fail to work versus Holy Fire?)

<RyanSherbrig> (But don't require Penetration.)

<HollyhockGod> "This is childish and absurd," says Ataulph angrily, "But I can cope with it. After all, you are nothing but the workhorses of your masters- and money forges the chains that bind the laboring classes!"

<RyanSherbrig> "Oh, are we doing the cliched monologues today? Very well. You'll never get away with this, fiend!"

<HollyhockGod> He pulls open a drawer, out of which an endless stream of quarters flys, going molten in mid-air and forging themselves into a chain.

<HollyhockGod> Ebba, the chains go for your arms and legs and try to pull you down to the ground.

<HollyhockGod> Lukas conjures a circular disc of razored force and sweeps around to try and sever the links, but fails as his attack bounces off.

<HollyhockGod> Ryan?

<Ebba> (I've already taken my micarulous action for this round, so I can't do much to try to get out of the way, right?)

<HollyhockGod> Yes, plus you're currently stuck to the ceiling.

<RyanSherbrig> (Well, I think you have until his next action to interfere with the miracle, right?)

  • RyanSherbrig shines out the front door and investigates the guards' bodies for weaponry.

<HollyhockGod> You can interfere with it whenever you like, you'll just be wrapped up in it after that.

<HollyhockGod> Which guards?

<HollyhockGod> Lukas scared them away with Moon Magic.

<RyanSherbrig> Weren't there guards at the front door that we killed or knocked unconscious or something?

<Ebba> You or Lukas used Glorious to make them go away.

<RyanSherbrig> Oh, right. I guess I forgot how we dealt with them. So I go outside and look confused for a bit, I guess.

<RyanSherbrig> (Maybe I'll draw Mr. Moneybags out after me.)

<HollyhockGod> How?

<HollyhockGod> Anyway, the Daughters are occupied with being stuck to things and swung at people.

<HollyhockGod> Montessa gives Ebba a point-blank shot to the head and is sad when it bounces off.

<HollyhockGod> Ebba, your move?

<RyanSherbrig> (Well, if he concludes that I'm the ringleader, he may try to stop my 'escape'.)

<Ebba> (Assuming the chains are miraculous, then I'd basically need an equal-level miracle to avoid them?)

<HollyhockGod> That's so!

<Ebba> (So, for example, I probably couldn't become small to get away?)

<HollyhockGod> Quite possibly not.

<Ebba> OK, I'll try to sidestep the targeting parameters, then.

<Fiona> (I was under the impression you could defeat miracles with lower level ones, assuming the concept worked, anyway.)

<HollyhockGod> If it's just "Yes I do!" "No you don't!" then it's a straight numbers game.

<HollyhockGod> If it's less direct than that it can get tricky.

<Ebba> "Your capitalist tricks will never bind the will of the proletariat!"

<Ebba> And I'll change into Infectious Thought Ebba.

<Ebba> Let's see that chains get a hold of that!

<HollyhockGod> You need a head to be a thought in.

<HollyhockGod> Don't you?

<Ebba> Sigh, there's no one else here.

<Alexa> (Ryan's head? :) )

<Fiona> (Plus all the spirits.)

<Ebba> Would fail against his immunity to miracles, I think.

<Ebba> And the daughters also have miracle immunity, being powerful horrors from Beyond Creation.

<HollyhockGod> They're level 3 and thus immune.

<RyanSherbrig> (Well, it's possible the chains won't shrink with you, just miraculously hold somebody of your previous size.)

<Fiona> (If you can talk to objects in Nobilis, presumably you can become their thoughts, etc.?)

<RyanSherbrig> (If you're out of other ideas, it's worth a try.)

<Alexa> (Any bureaucrats in range? Though they may have run away when they heard gunshots.)

<Ebba> Ah yes, perfect! Our enemy has already summoned the idea of capitalism. I'll infect that!

<HollyhockGod> I don't think mentioning capitalism summons its direct spirit. But I guess you can infect a table.

<Ebba> Heh.

<HollyhockGod> Ebba fills a table with the desire to transcend suffering.

<HollyhockGod> Ataulph directs his chains to the table. They enchain it!

<Alexa> (Ha!)

<HollyhockGod> Lukas swirls at Ataulph, but the Excrucian simply tells him "You don't know friend from foe. Everyone looks like an enemy."

<HollyhockGod> Lukas reels and looks madly around.

<Ebba> At least I'm soaking up the miracle-fu.

<HollyhockGod> Ebba, you feel… constricted. Like it might be difficult to get out of this table.

<Ebba> Hmm, so the chains were quite miraculous, then.

<RyanSherbrig> "Oh, right, Lukas crazied them away. Hmmm."

<HollyhockGod> They're quite a piece of fancywork.

<RyanSherbrig> (When are Alexa and Fiona (and possibly Thorpe?) getting here?)

<Fiona> (Ouch. Blind Lie.)

<HollyhockGod> When they say they are, I guess.

<HollyhockGod> Hm, I think it's the Daughter's turn again. They slice at the winds and fall abruptly to the floor.

<HollyhockGod> Montessa shoots the injured daughter execution-style. She ceases to be.

<HollyhockGod> Ebba, you're trapped in the mind of a table.

<Ebba> I think supportive thoughts?

<Alexa> A fireball smashes through the window!

<RyanSherbrig> (Hmmm, what happens to Ebba if the thing she's in the mind of gets killed/destroyed?)

<HollyhockGod> I assume she would be freed.

<HollyhockGod> Alexa, the office is strangely decorated, with blood all over the wall and tables chained to the floor.

<Alexa> (Do I see any targets?)

<HollyhockGod> Lukas, crazed with terror, blasts you with something freaky. A circle of runes appears on the floor around you.

<Fiona> (I'll arrive in a round. possibly with pirate girl, if she wanted to come join in)

<Alexa> (Dammit!)

<HollyhockGod> An Excrucian with a shiny tie is leaning over a table. Another Montessa has just killed a Daughter of Night. Lukas is acting compromised.

<HollyhockGod> Action?

<Alexa> (2 DMPs for Lesser Creation of Fire with 2 Pen to set fire to their ties.)

<HollyhockGod> That would only be one DMP.

<Alexa> (3 Pen, then.)

<HollyhockGod> You set fire to yourself as your magic bounces off the circle you're evidently stuck in.

<HollyhockGod> It doesn't hurt, but it's embarassing!

<Alexa> "Ow!"

<HollyhockGod> Ryan, your action,

<Alexa> (I forget — do Gifts still count as miraculous actions?)

<RyanSherbrig> (Unless they're bought as automatic.)

<HollyhockGod> Unless they're… yes.

<RyanSherbrig> I stride back in and mundanely assault the Excrucian with a fountain pen!

<HollyhockGod> It doesn't work.

<HollyhockGod> But you get ink on his tie.

<RyanSherbrig> Hmmm. How does it fail? Bounces off his flesh or something?

<HollyhockGod> The Excrucian looks at you with hatred!

<HollyhockGod> Yeah, pretty much. The Daughters don't seem to have left a mark, so he's got Immortal or some other big thing.

<RyanSherbrig> (Ah. Then my plan was a success after all.)

<HollyhockGod> "Montessa!" he cries. "Take the table and escape!"

<Alexa> (?)

<RyanSherbrig> (Mostly I wanted to get him to focus on me.)

<Alexa> (Ah.)

<HollyhockGod> Then he turns to Alexa and tells her "Nothing bars your magic! Your fire burns me! Oh, the pain!"

<HollyhockGod> Ryan, you think this is extremely bad acting, but Alexa finds it very convincing.

<Alexa> (Oh, bugger.)

<RyanSherbrig> (to the uninjured Daughter of Night.) "Destroy the table!"

<HollyhockGod> You realize that you aren't trapped in a magic circle at all, and Ataulph is writhing in pain.

<Alexa> "Gotcha!"

<RyanSherbrig> (Or anyone else listening)

<HollyhockGod> Do the Daughters even work when the pair is broken?

<RyanSherbrig> Well, I bought them as two individual creatures.

<HollyhockGod> Lies!

<HollyhockGod> That would be crazy broken!

  • HollyhockGod activates the powers of Limited Knowledge.

<RyanSherbrig> Balls.

<HollyhockGod> The Daughter, crazed with grief, finds her attacks going wild as the chains move to block her strikes.

<HollyhockGod> Montessa grabs the table and heads out the door, streaming chains behind.

<RyanSherbrig> Fine. As I haven't taken my miraculous action yet, I toss out Grix, spend an SMP, and order "Destroy the table and stop them from escaping!"

<Alexa> (My action yet?)

<HollyhockGod> Lukas takes fright at the Daughter's madness and swings his razor at her, making a deep incision.

<HollyhockGod> Yes, it's your action.

<HollyhockGod> Unless Ebba has one.

<Alexa> Knowing that Ataulph is on fire, I hurl myself at Montessa.

<Ebba> I can use the Rite of the Last Trump to swap around MP at 2 for 1, yes? (My Spirit is 1.)

<HollyhockGod> You find yourself blocked by a mysterious force, Alexa.

<HollyhockGod> You have no idea what!

<Alexa> But how can this be?

<HollyhockGod> 4 for 1 at Spirit 1.

<Fiona> (it's 2:1 for me)

<HollyhockGod> A parachute of flowers deposits Fiona in the hole in the wall!

<HollyhockGod> Fiona, Alexa is hurling herself at a mystic circle. A Montessa is trying to escape and using a table as cover.

<HollyhockGod> Ryan is in hand-to-hand combat with an Excrucian holding only a pen. Lukas has attacked a Daughter and hurt her.

<Ebba> A chained-up table, no less.

<HollyhockGod> The better to hide behind!

<Fiona> As a mundane action, I try and scuff out part of the circle. As a miraculous action, I block Montessa's route with a wall of thorns (far enough ahead of her that she won't be able to get through
before they become real).

<HollyhockGod> Is that really your biggest priority right now, from an IC perspective?

<Alexa> (Coming up next on Radio Phoenix, it's Fiona, 'Parachute of Flowers'.)

<RyanSherbrig> (Well, Montessa is escaping, and everyone else is already engaged)

<RyanSherbrig> (As potential justification.)

<Fiona> Ryan's Immortal; I have no idea what Lukas and the Daughters are doing, and I don't have any miracle-based tricks that can obviously break Alexa out.)

<HollyhockGod> I suppose that makes sense.

<HollyhockGod> The halls fill up with thorns. The scuffing, it does nothing, though.

<Fiona> Didn't think so, but hey, no point wasting a mundane action by not doing anything.

<RyanSherbrig> (Hmmm, if it's 'mundane' mortal magic, a miraculous action should trump it.)

<HollyhockGod> Hm, I think it's, um, Ryan's turn.

<RyanSherbrig> (A cleansing blast of pollen!)

<HollyhockGod> That would be some unusual pollen.

<RyanSherbrig> (Doesn't the book use an example of cleansing wind washing away magic?)

<RyanSherbrig> Anyway, as aforementioned, I toss out Grix, instruct it to aid us in this fight and follow my orders doing so, and as my mundane action "Destroy the table, then incapacitate Montessa and the guy with the tie."

<RyanSherbrig> Pointing to unambiguously identify my intended targets.

<HollyhockGod> How many points there?

<RyanSherbrig> 1 SMP to give the command?

<HollyhockGod> Anyway, the Grix amorphouses out the door to eat the table. It's happy enough to eat things anyway.

<HollyhockGod> Montessa finds herself engulfed by a giant blob of everything.

<HollyhockGod> Ebba, you find your table-prison being eaten away at, setting you free!

<HollyhockGod> But you're still wrapped in a disgusting amorphous devil-beast.

<Ebba> "Nooo, the poor innocent table!"

<HollyhockGod> The Daughter takes a bite out of Lukas with a knife.

<HollyhockGod> Lukas takes her head off.

<Ebba> "Hey, you're on my side; leggo!"

<HollyhockGod> (Simplifying the turn order a lot.)

<RyanSherbrig> (Hmmm, that saves me from having to banish her next turn, yeah.)

<HollyhockGod> Um, I think it's Alexa's turn again, since Montessa is busy.

<Alexa> (Thinks to self: "Hmm, something seems odd here.")

<HollyhockGod> Probably he used the Blind Lie on you.

<Ebba> Burn the guy, you hurt him once already.

<HollyhockGod> You still know that.

<Alexa> Change into human shape and run at Ataulph.

<HollyhockGod> You just can't perceive any evidence to the contrary!

<Alexa> (Hoping the circle only holds me as a fireball.)

<HollyhockGod> You bounce off an invisible wall.

<Alexa> "Fuck!"

<HollyhockGod> Fiona?

<Fiona> Can I tell if the circle is mundane magic or not?

<HollyhockGod> The sight indicates that it's moon miracles.

<HollyhockGod> Recall that Lukas has power over circular things.

<RyanSherbrig> (Charge through with your monster auctoritas!)

<Fiona> Hmm. Leaving the parachute behind, I'll walk into the circle, then try to walk out the other side with Alexa.

<Fiona> (If I can get in, but not out, I'll try stepping back through the parachute.)

<HollyhockGod> Alexa, Fiona is trying to pull on you and drag you somewhere.

<Alexa> "Hey!"

<HollyhockGod> "That's no ally of yours!" cries Ataulph. "That's an impostor!"

<Alexa> (But I'll go with her.)

<Alexa> (To whom?)

<HollyhockGod> But you can't hear him because Fiona's Auctoritas is so loud.

<HollyhockGod> Yay Spirit!

<Alexa> (Wouldn't it not work anyway? Blind Lie only once per target per story?)

<HollyhockGod> Hm, the Daughters are dead, so it's Ebba's turn as the Grix slimes off of her to constrict Montessa's arms.

<HollyhockGod> Hm, I guess that's also true.

<HollyhockGod> I guess Excrucians forget how their powers work as often as Storytellers do!

<Fiona> Maybe it was aimed at me, then?

<Alexa> (Maybe he was aiming it at Fiona. :) )

<RyanSherbrig> (Or Ataulph was just hoping you wouldn't remember.)

<Alexa> (Jinx!)

<Ebba> does montessa still have her firearm?

<HollyhockGod> She does, but she's covered in Grix.

<RyanSherbrig> When it's my turn (I need to go brush my teeth and get ready for work) I shout to Lukas "Ha! I've shielded the rest of my assassins from your sight! It's a good thing you can't magically remove unnatural influences on your mind!"

<RyanSherbrig> (Reasoning if he can make people see that sort of stuff with his domain, like to the guards, he can probably remove such influences from himself, too.)

<HollyhockGod> Hm. That's actually a pretty good idea.

<HollyhockGod> Lukas realizes that he can magically remove unnatural influences from his mind!

<HollyhockGod> So he does.

<Alexa> (Bravo!)

<HollyhockGod> Ataulph evidently decides that he's had enough, and he makes a quick acceleration and pounds through an opposite wall, out of sight from everyone except Ryan and Alexa.

<HollyhockGod> He moves through the air quite quickly, but wait!

<HollyhockGod> Hey, the NPC brigade has arrived, as Melangell appears from the sky to chase him down!

<Alexa> (Again? She's not going to let us live this down.)

<Ebba> (About time for me to go.)

<Fiona> (Me, too.)

<Ebba> (Does anyone have comprehensive shapeshifting, so they can replace the Secretary?)

<Alexa> (Not me.)

<HollyhockGod> Well, as Melangell chases the Excrucian out of DC, you're left to clean up Montessa.

<HollyhockGod> Lukas does. :)

<HollyhockGod> FINISH HER?

<Alexa> Yes!

<HollyhockGod> Alexa burns away the problem.

<HollyhockGod> Yay! Good guys win!

<Alexa> Muahaha!

<Alexa> I mean, yay!

  • RyanSherbrig steeples his fingers. "Excellent."

<HollyhockGod> Anyway, as Lukas makes the giant holes in the wall invisible for now, you return to the Lady Luck for debriefing and debauchery in celebration.

<HollyhockGod> You aren't in a terrible hurry.

<Alexa> (Can we nettle her, or do we have to wait til Ataulph is finished?)

<HollyhockGod> This may have been a mistake.

<Alexa> (I am shocked to hear that.)

<HollyhockGod> I guess the Breakthrough is thwarted, but you'll have to argue with Elizabeth Eliza over who should get the Nettle.

<Alexa> (Well, they got Greed!)

<HollyhockGod> As you arrive on the deck, you find three things.

<Ebba> And their way would have involved burning down the city.

<HollyhockGod> Sorry, four things.

<RyanSherbrig> (Destruction, Desecration, and Scorn.)

<RyanSherbrig> (And their boss.)

<HollyhockGod> One is Elizabeth Eliza, arguing furiously.

<Alexa> ( :D )

<HollyhockGod> One is indeed Destruction's-Regal Baalhermon, with whom she is arguing.

<HollyhockGod> The third is Melangell, who is wriggling in Baalhermon's firm grip.

<HollyhockGod> The fourth is a dead body.

<Alexa> (Anyone we know?)

<HollyhockGod> Poor Anna Beauregarde has drunk her last pink lemonade.

<RyanSherbrig> (The Excrucian, I would hope.)

<RyanSherbrig> (Awwww.)

<Alexa> :O

<Alexa> :(

<Fiona> Oh, no!

<Ebba> Where did she come from?

<HollyhockGod> It's hard to enjoy your cabana boys when somebody's stuck a cutlass in you.

<Alexa> (Did we ever rebuild her beachhouse?)

<HollyhockGod> Very good questions, but we're out of time!

<HollyhockGod> I declare this story complete.

<RyanSherbrig> Yikes. I was only suggesting that jokingly because I'm finally throwing Entropy's powers at my own PCs in the Treachery PbP.

<Uqbarian> Oh, that's sad. I kind of liked Anna.

<RandBrittain> So quick, claim the cabana boys as your own!

<CrusherBob> (In Baalhermon's name I command you to release her?)

<RyanSherbrig> (As they foolishly decided to not follow Lord Entropy's suggestion of framing Radiant Emptiness.)

<CrusherBob> Or would that be unpolitic?

<Uqbarian> Assuming it really is her, of course, and not a fake body.

<RandBrittain> That's really unpolitic.

<Uqbarian> Not that I'm paranoid or anything! *shifty eyes*

<RandBrittain> I assume many questions will be answered soon, in the next story: The Locust Court For Dummies!

<RyanSherbrig> But imagine the embarassment if it were a Deciever and we didn't check!

  • RyanSherbrig is now known as Benhimself

<RandBrittain> Deceivers can't bring you before the Locust Court. Probably.

  • Fiona is now known as borogove

<RandBrittain> I think I'll avoid combat for another seven stories if I can help it.

<RandBrittain> It's exciting, but difficult to keep track of!

<Uqbarian> And we're not very good at it! :)

<RandBrittain> Anyway, it's another CP for the group.

<RandBrittain> You do kind of have an institutional lack of bloodlust.

<Benhimself> I just outsource my bloodlust needs.

<RandBrittain> I bet E'jah could brew up a bottle or two of murder-moxie!

<Uqbarian> And a knack for getting stuck.

<RandBrittain> Also, in spite of my attempts to create scary, scary opponents, I still felt a bit outgunned by you and three NPCs.

<CrusherBob> (I go now, byebye.)

<RandBrittain> Well, I hope you all had fun.

<Benhimself> Anyway, I think that puts me at two spare CPs, so I'm going to get comprehensive shapeshifting. When I go elemental, I can come back as something other than myself.

<RandBrittain> I invite your thoughts!

<Benhimself> (So I'd have the Restriction 'glows brightly when shapechanging' as well.)

  • CrusherBob has quit (Disintegrated: Leaving)

<Uqbarian> Seeya, Bob!

<Benhimself> I had fun! It was satisfying to have a plan work. More or less. And the limited knowledge was well-played.

<Uqbarian> Yeah! And that was a nice trick against Lukas.

<Uqbarian> (Telling him there were more hidden assassins, that is.)

<RandBrittain> My thought was that you could group up into three and remind him that there were only two real enemies.

<Uqbarian> It does seem like we'd be in real trouble without NPCs helping out.

<Benhimself> Well, we handled Shakespeare well enough. Until it, um, turned out to all be a giant red herring. But still.

<Benhimself> Anyway, I'm off for work. Later, all!

<RandBrittain> They did get in a few solids, but most of them were defensive.

<Uqbarian> Seeya, Ben!

  • Benhimself has quit (Disintegrated: )

<RandBrittain> The main help you got from an NPC was Elizabeth Eliza rescuing Ryan.

<borogove> I'm off, too. Laters, people.

  • borogove has quit (Disintegrated: borogove)

<RandBrittain> Lukas was more of a bother than a help, on account of him being kind of a spaz.

<RandBrittain> Such is the fate of the patron of crazy!

<Uqbarian> So if Lukas hadn't been Blinded, would we have been able to take both Exes down, in theory?

<RandBrittain> Maybe!

<RandBrittain> I didn't really care if either of them died, since Ataulph never really took off and you have a spare Montessa.

<RandBrittain> I just needed to get Ataulph and Melangell alone long enough for dot dot dot.

<Uqbarian> Eek!

<Uqbarian> Tricksy HG!

<RandBrittain> Well, now we get to do a Locust Court story.

<RandBrittain> At least if you are interested in defending or convicting Melangell.

<Uqbarian> "Who, us? Never heard of 'er, your Honour."

<RandBrittain> My ideal scenario is: Ryan defends Melangell to get into EE's pants. But I have to lead him into it.

<Uqbarian> :)

<Uqbarian> I'd better go to work too.

<Uqbarian> Oh! But I just remembered, I won't be here next weekend; singing in a concert.

<Uqbarian> Darn.

<RandBrittain> No Locust Court for you!

<Uqbarian> A shame, because Alexa would feel obliged to help Melangell at least a little bit.

<RandBrittain> Joktan gives you thirty days for breaking the sound barrier while not invisible.

<RandBrittain> You do kind of owe her a hat.

<Uqbarian> And it was a pretty hat.

<RandBrittain> It was indeed.

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